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TheClarion OnlineIssue
5 |
Summer 2008

Clarion Online 5 The Clarion Online has reached its fifth birthday. Unfortunately, as
we are all, alas, aware, passing years bring in their wake the
passing of lives. This issue contains appreciations of three lives
which have been snuffed out long before they should have been. Two
of the individuals in question, Clive Perdue and Kari Sajavaara,
were founding members of EUROSLA, and both, in different ways, made
invaluable contributions to getting the Association launched and in
setting it on the right course. The third, Abdi Kazeroni, was
especially active in EUROSLA in its early years. All three will be
deeply missed. Their professional biographies are inextricably
intertwined with the history of EUROSLA, a thumbnail sketch of which
is very usefully provided in these pages by Heather Hilton. More
recent history also finds its place here in the form of some
photographs of last year's very excellent conference in Newcastle
kindly donated by Richard Towell. Further photos from Richard's
collection are posted on my website and are accessible via a link in
these pages. As for the present, this is represented by some answers
to leading questions put to the current EUROSLA Committee by our
mischievous President - also posted on the website and accessible
via a link provided below. We even have a sniff of the future in
Daniel Véronique's very inviting invitation to Aix. Venez nombreux!

Bienvenue à Aix-en-Provence!
Daniel Véronique

From September 10 to September 13 2008, Aix-en-Provence and the
Université de Provence will play host to EUROSLA 18. After
EUROSLA 4 in 1994, the annual EUROSLA Conference is back in Aix!

Preparations are under way to make the conference a memorable
and pleasant event.

226 proposals have been received by the Conference organisers,
116 have been accepted and some others have been converted into
posters. 21 PhD students will participate in the Doctoral
workshop. The Language Learning RoundTable, now a regular
feature of the EUROSLA conference, will be convened by Jan
Hulstjin and Daniel Véronique. It is devoted to "Acquisition
orders and Levels of L2 proficiency in the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages". Within the conference,
three colloquia will bear on "Advanced Learners" (leaders Inge
Bartning and Fanny Forsberg), “Pragmatics” (Istvan Kecskes) and
“Information structure” (Christine Dimroth). The four plenary
speakers will be Simona Pekarek-Doehler, Marianne Gullberg,
Monika Schmid and Cheryl Frenck-Mestre. Delegates from at least
20 different countries will present at the conference.
Delegates from Japan, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany
and Belgium are making the largest contributions to EUROSLA 18.

As all of you know, from the blog of EUROSLA 18 (http://blog.univ-provence.fr/blog/eurosla18),
the conference will be hosted by Maison Méditerranéenne des
Sciences de l’homme [EmEmesa∫], 5 rue du Château de l’Horloge
Aix, ( 33) (0) 4 42 52 40 00). You can get to the venue by
bus number 6 (a 15 minute ride). This bus can be caught in the
centre of town (2 bus stops – avenue Victor Hugo and boulevard
de la République). So jump on bus number 6 going to Jas de
Bouffan and jump off the bus at Pablo Picasso bus stop and you
will be at MMSH. It is very easy!

You stay in a hotel close to the centre of Aix and make your way
to MMSH every morning by bus. This will enable you, as Eric
Kellerman wrote in The Clarion after Eurosla 4, to "[…] discuss till
deep in the night at any of the dozen pavement cafés that line
the Cours Mirabeau" - my own favourites are Le Grillon and Les
Deux Garçons (mind you, no free drinks were presented to me for
giving you this piece of information). There are dozens of cafés
in Aix; I recommend those which are close to the town hall and
la Place aux Herbes.

Although no Belle dame au microphone, at least the one that
impressed Eric so much will be around, and we do hope you will
enjoy your stay in Aix, reputed for its fountains. The
conference programme sounds exciting and the weather should be
fine!

A brief history of EuroslaHeather Hilton

EUROSLA
was founded at a meeting held in Colchester, England, from 24 to 26
November 1989. The meeting was hosted and organized by Dr. Vivian
Cook, who was at that time lecturing at the University of Essex. The
proposal for the meeting – drawn up by Vivian Cook and Rod Ellis
(then of Ealing College) in July of 1989, and circulated to an array
of European SLA researchers – outlined a clear and ambitious
agenda, calling for:

• The creation of an Association "promoting the study of second
language acquisition and use through a multidiscipliary
international approach." Suggested tasks: holding an annual
conference, as well as regular small conferences; centralizing
research tools (bibiliographies, corpora, databases, test
instruments, and directories of researchers); issuing reports and
position papers on issues affecting L2 learning and use.

Thirty-three researchers (in various domains, with linguistics and
applied linguistics dominating), representing fifteen countries
(including Central and Eastern European countries, such as Poland,
Bulgaria, and Hungary, as well as Yugoslavia, whose geopolitical
status was still to change), were present for the meeting, which
began on the Friday evening, and ended sociably at the Cook’s home
on the following Sunday afternooon. "Academic talks" were given by
Eric Kellerman (University of Nijmegan), Janusz Arabski (University
of Silesia), Clive Perdue (Max Planck Institute), Allan James
(University of Amsterdam), Cécile Beauvillain (Université
Descartes), Peter Jordens (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Z. Radnal
(Janus Pannonius University.), David Singleton (Trinity College
Dublin), and Maria Roussou (University of the Aegean).

The first
version of the EUROSLA constitution was elaborated during the
meeting and was adopted at the end of the meeting. It has been
subject to some minoramendments since, but on the whole one can say
that it has stood the test of time.

The first
annual conference was held in Salzburg, Austria in 1991. A full list
of annual conference dates and venues follows.

Vivian Cook was the Founding President of EUROSLA. He served two
terms of two years, and then, in accordance with the provisions of
the EUROSLA Constitution, stood down, handing over to the late Kari
Sajavaara, who after one term was succeeded by the late Esther Glahn.
The presidency then moved to Dublin - to the care of Vera Regan
(one term) and David Singleton (two terms). More recently the post
was held for two terms by Simona Pekarek Dohler, and most recently
has passed to Jean-Marc Dewaele, our current President.

Clive Perdue died March 14, 2008, leaving us much too soon.
A remarkable scholar, colleague and professor, Clive played a
crucial role in the development of second language acquisition
research in Europe from the early 70s to the present. While research
in SLA from a generativist perspective was blossoming in North
America, Clive was one of the pioneers of the functionalist approach
to SLA in Europe. He guided many colleagues through one of the most
extensive projects ever conducted in SLA research, a programme
funded by the European Science Foundation that involved data
collection and analysis of second language productions by immigrants
across Europe. The project culminated in a two-volume piece,
published in 1993 by Cambridge University Press: Adult Language
Acquisition: Cross-linguistic Perspectives. One of the principal
findings of this work was the identification of the Basic Variety, a
highly structured and efficient form of language developed by second
language users. Clive pursued his work on the Basic Variety and
various areas of SLA as Professor of Linguistics at the University
of Paris 8 (St-Denis) and as Director of the Unité Mixte de
Recherche 7023 (CNRS & Paris 8) Structures formelles du langage:
Typologie et acquisition, poétrique et métrique. Many of his
publications were co-authored with his close colleague and friend,
Wolfgang Klein, and his numerous doctoral students.

In addition to his research and university responsibilities, Clive
was one of the founders of EUROSLA in 1989, attending the first
meeting in Colchester, England hosted by Vivian Cook and taking part
in the writing of the constitution. He was a stanch supporter of the
association thereafter, encouraging (forcing rather!) his doctoral
students to submit abstracts and partake in the provocative
discussions about SLA that surfaced annually at EUROSLA conferences.
He co-organized the Paris conference with Susan Foster-Cohen and
produced a two-volume publication of a selection of conference
papers in Acquisition et Interaction en Langue Etrangère, a journal
for which he was chief editor until his death.

Those of us who had the good fortune to know Clive all have our
stories. I personally have uncannily clear images of both my first
and last contacts with Clive. My first was at the 1996 EUROSLA
conference in Nijmegen. I was new to SLA at the time and was testing
both the SLA waters a potential research director, Clive Perdue,
keynote speaker. I remember not understanding most of the talks
(Susanne Carroll and Michael Sharwood Smith lost me completely!).
Clive’s talk entitled Pre-basic varieties. The first stages of
second language acquisition was no exception, but alas, it sparked
something. It may have been the charming British accent, or maybe
the passion with which he spoke about his subject. “He loves this
stuff”, I thought to myself. I somehow mustered the courage to
introduce myself at some point later in the day. He gave me his home
phone number in Paris and said to give him a call. I trembled for
years when dialing that phone number.

My last contact with Clive was over the phone of his hospital room.
To a distant, quiet voice, I told him that I had finished the index
of my book (and as we all know, that means you’ve finished your
book). His voice perked up, “So that’s it. That’s the book!”. Clive
never saw the book, but he knew it was finished, and since he had
already read and fervently commented on the manuscript, that’s all
that mattered.

Clive is survived by his wife, Evelyne, and a legacy of important
scholarly work that will influence the field of SLA for many years
to come. We thank you Clive, and we will miss you always.

Kari Sajavaara: in memoriam
Maisa Martin (with one or two small additions from David Singleton)

Professor Kari Sajavaara (born 18.1.1938, died 24.10.2006) started
his career in traditional English philology (Ph.D. in 1967, a text
edition) at the University of Helsinki. Later he moved to very
different areas but always emphasized the value of this early
training. Kari moved to Jyväskylä to take up a post first as an
associate professor and then as full professor (1979) of English
language. Gradually he moved towards applied linguistics and became
the first director of the Centre of Applied Language Studies in
1996.

Language teaching and research in Jyväskylä and all of Finland
owe a lot to Kari. He initiated the language centre system,
which since the 1970s has provided all university students with
skills in domestic and foreign languages as well as academic
writing and speaking skills. In addition to founding a language
centre in every institute of higher education, he also created a
national unit which provided materials and training for language
centre teachers. The international networks which were required
for such training were also very much based on Kari’s personal
contacts. Then, as the language centre system matured, and
teachers required less help, the unit became the research and
development institution now known as the Centre for Applied
Language Studies. In the early 1990s the assessment of language
skills became an important issue in Finland. National
Certificates of Proficiency and DIALANG, both now important
language testing systems, were both initiated by Kari. Kari also
held many administrative positions within the University. He was
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities (1996 – 2002) and the
Vice-Rector of the University (1982 – 1991). He was active in
the Professors’ Union, as a board member in (1981–82 and
1994–98), and as Vice-Chair responsible for international
affairs (1999–2002). After retirement in 2003 Kari remained very
active, in particular in developing language education and
policy in Finland. An international conference on these issues
in October 2006 was also organized by him, although by that
stage he was no longer able to participate in it.

It is most appropriate that Kari died on October 24, United
Nations Day. In future years the flags flying in Finland on this
celebration of international cooperation will also remind us of
Kari. Few Finnish professors have achieved such a network of
colleagues all over the world. The Summer School of Applied
Linguistics (organized for the 26th time in June 2008) could not
have attracted the well-known scholars which frequent it without
this network.

Kari was one of the founders of EUROSLA at the famous Colchester
meeting in 1989, and he served as President of EUROSLA during
the period 1993-1995. Probably his most memorable contribution
to the Association was his enthusiastic organization of its
second annual conference in Jyväskylä in June 1992. This
conference attracted some very big names in SLA and also some
very fine papers. It was characterized to boot by a highly
dynamic social dimension, which very much set the pattern for
subsequent conferences. He also chaired the very successful
World Congress of AILA in Jyväskylä in 1996, and was in addition
the first director (1999 – 2002) of Langnet, the National
Doctoral School of Languages, an organization which covers all
language departments in all universities of Finland and now
provides a wide variety of opportunities for doctoral students.

Doctoral students of applied linguistics in Finland remember
Kari as a person who could after the briefest presentation
locate a piece of research under discussion in a wider
framework, tell how the related areas had developed and what
their relationship to each other was, rattle off a great number
of potential sources to read and contacts to make, and finally
dig from his bag the newest book in the area as he had "just
happened to read it on the flight yesterday." The bibliophile
interests of Kari still benefit the University of Jyväskylä
today, as he donated his language-related books to the
Department of Languages. His interests did not stop with books
on linguistics; you could also ask for his recommendation for a
good detective story; and he had season tickets not only for the
Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra but also for ice-hockey and
baseball games.

Family was very important to Kari. I particularly remember the
meeting where he was elected the first head of the first
National Doctoral School of Languages. In the midst of the
election excitement he whispered to me: "Hope they’ll cut off
all this talk. I want to go and see my new grandson!"

Abdi Kazeroni: A sad and sudden
passing
Jean-Marc Dewaele

I am very sad to inform the linguistic community, belatedly, of
the loss of our friend and colleague, Abdi Kazeroni. Abdi passed
away in the arms of his wife, after a sudden cardiac arrest on
Saturday October 6, 2007 at the age of 47, in Compiègne, France.

Abdi Kazeroni was born in Ispahan, Iran. He obtained a B.Sc. in
Pure Mathematics and a PGCE at the University of Sussex, UK in
1982. However, he decided to become a language teacher and
started teaching English as a Foreign language. He moved to
France where he completed his DEA de Didactique des Langues et
des Cultures at the Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III) in 1990.

Abdi completed his doctoral dissertation on didactics at the
Université de Technologie de Compiegne in 1997. He was an
excellent teacher and a relentless organizer of workshops and
conferences. He started a series of international conferences (UNTELE
- the Use of New Technologies in Foreign Language) in 1997 where
he managed to bring researchers and teachers together from all
over the world. Famous applied linguists like Claire Kramsch,
Mike Long, Nick Ellis, Florence Myles, Rachel Giora were invited
as plenary speakers. The 6th and last conference was organized
in 2007 on the topic "Cross-cultural communication, global
networking and second language acquisition". Abdi published and
edited a number of remarkable papers and collections on Computer
Assisted Language Learning. He also presented his research at
conferences all over the world. I first met him at the second
EUROSLA conference in Jyvaskyla in 1992 where he presented a
memorable funny paper.

Abdi was an extremely generous and witty person who enjoyed
nothing more than a good discussion over a good meal.

He was married to Michèle Delabre with whom he had two children.

The Committee on the Committee
We recently asked members of the Eurosla Committee a series of
questions to find out more about their work and interests. If
you're interested in knowing who Jean-Marc's favourite composers
are, or what language Rebekah dreams in,
click here!